Blog All About It

I first need to apologize to my loyal readers - I have been very busy and we know that it isn't good to blog while at work!

So, currently I am waiting at MSP International Airport for my flight to Indianapolis and it's delayed until 5 p.m. so I think I am safe to blog away...

Let's get you all updated...

FRIDAY, AUGUST 5
I started off this lovely summer evening by going to Glamarama with my cousin Katie and her husband Chris, and my good friends Sonja and Julie.

The night started off with all us dressed appropriately - black dresses! Of course - black looks great on anyone!

So, we drove downtown (can't really walk the five blocks to the LRT station in heeled sandals) and parked and went to Solera for a drink before going to the big show. Well, Solera was the official insecure female snob spot for the night. As we went into the bar, this lovely female tells me that the cocktail area is RESERVED! I politely (yes, I can be polite) told her that we were just getting a drink at the bar. So, while waiting for our drinks at the bar I began pondering who this cocktail area was reserved for. I mean, I am a guest of CCRF (Children's Cancer Research Fund) and maybe this area is really reserved for ME!! So, we get our drinks (Pinot Grigio for me, Cosmo for Julie and vodka cranberry for Sony) and I head on over to the RESERVED area. Snobby immediately informs me that it's guess what...RESERVED!! I tell her yes, I'm with the party - and she gives me the blank stare...so I ask, "who is it reserved for?" She tells me some business I have never heard of...hmmm...can't make that work.

So, off we go down the hall - I hear the pre-party is UPSTAIRS! I name drop and off we go in the elevator headed up to the second floor for the official pre-party. I feel like I'm on Sex and the City only I'm not really any of the characters. But it's quite an assortment of people. I mean there are girls dressed in jeans, prom dresses, weird I'm trying to hard outfits and then an odd group of people dressed in feathers, boas and weird make-up. Obviously they are from Marshall Field's.

Curtain call - so we all head back downstairs and begin making our way over to the State Theater for the big show. We get in and have good seats (thanks Stuart at CCRF!) and the show starts at 7:45 p.m. with the B-52's. Guess what song they sing? Yep, you guessed it - the Love Shack. The blonde girl in the group doesn't even open her eyes, I swear, but I guess if I had to sing Love Shack at a style show I'd keep my eyes closed too!

Then the fashion begins - there are like at least 10 designers and they all do their runway walk thing in their oh so stylish fashions that are much too weird and expensive for me. You might see me in a few more stylish accessories this fall though! I'm thinking of a cute hat for my big trip to Tulsa for the football home opener.

The highlight of the show is the Pussycat Dolls (obviously there are several of them, I mean who is back in Vegas?) who sing a new song BEFORE they sing their signature song. Props to them. I still won't buy their album..

The show ends with another rendition from the B-52's...can't think of the name but I am sure it's the only other song that people know by them. By the way the show only lasted an hour. Good thing I didn't pay $75 per ticket for an hour long show.

We head over to McCormick & Schmick's for dinner (or whatever you want to call late night fare) since I have a coupon - but I of course forgot it at home. Damn!

We get there at 9 p.m. and there are no tables available so we head to the bar to wait for our table. The bartender offers a drink - this is where she starts off well but she turns out to be dumb as a rock. She does give me a taste of the Little Penguin Chardonnay from Australia but I don't like it - I knew I wouldn't. Chardonnay has too much bite for me. I stick to my classic, Pinot Grigio. Sony orders a vodka cranberry and begins chatting up the couple next to us. Jules gets her cosmo and Katie and Chris - couldn't even tell you what they ordered.

So, then a table in the BAR area opens up - so we make our way over there. The frazzled bar waitress tells us it will be a few minutes before she can clean our table. I mean she says that it just won't slow down!

Okay - side bar here. The bad waitress at Rosen's said something like this before too. Seriously people - it's FRIDAY NIGHT IN DOWNTOWN MINNEAPOLIS! We don't live in Iowa, South Dakota or where ever! There are a million plus people in the Twin Cities! And people go out on Friday nights! Downtown! Are they stupid?? Go to the damn suburbs then!

Back to the review - so we sit down and then the bartender is yelling after us, "Are you going to pay for your drinks?" Like we are going to stiff her or something. I guess high quality restaurants such as McCormicks can't transfer bar tabs to the food bill. Hmmm....noted. So, I pay for my drink and Jules and it's super expensive. I hear Chris and Katie saying that they have been overcharged too. The blond bartender just looks confused. Very confused. Why she is working on Friday night is beyond me.

So, then the host comes over and tells us that our table is ready (it's 9:20, not too bad). We follow him off to the table, perhaps giving the bar waitress a much needed reprieve.

But once we sit down at our table it takes our waiter FOREVER to come over with menus. I actually get up and go ask if we even have a waiter. Darin finally arrives with menus and takes our drink order. He comes back with bread and we begin ordering. I go with the fried shrimp platter with fries and coleslaw. Katie can't decide between the chicken or pork tenderloin. He tells her that they are out of chicken. Again - who freaking runs out of chicken? Chicken? I understand steak, fish, etc. but chicken? She obviously goes with the pork. Chris goes with a salad, Sony the calamari and Jules the salmon.

Meanwhile, the blond bartender has tracked us down. I think that she is coming to give us a refund since she obviously has overcharged us. I almost faint when she says that we owe her more $! We demand to look at the bill (it's funny to see other people get mad besides me) and we show her that she has the couple's drinks on our bill. The couple that Sony had been chatting up. Idiot. She sulks off to find them.

Darin brings us our bread - I think I ate a whole loaf. Sony said it was real sour bread...sourdough perhaps?? :)

The food comes. Shrimp is good, fries are soggy and coleslaw is warm. No one gets dessert but Darin does surprise us and brings us a complimentary apple pie. (with ice cream)

Rating time...1-2 never go there again, 3-4 I have a coupon, 5-6 average, 7-8 good stuff, 9-10 fabulous.

I'd give McCormick's a 4. So obviously I have a coupon so I have to go back there.

I won't even bother looking up their address for you - it's across from Target downtown by Nicollet Mall.

That was a long update for you faithful blog followers. I will update you from Indy...I've finally got a laptop!